Tape delays pedals.

longi

Just recently I've started gassing for tape delay pedals, I bought the new TC Gauss Tape Echo which sounds great except for one thing. The volume drops when the pedal is engaged. It doesn't drop by a whole lot but it's borderline enough for me to want to sell it on.

Most of the other pedals the Tone City Tape Machine looks like a candidate for a cheap tape delay as does a used Flashback mini.

Are there any others out there that I might have missed? My budget is around £70 tops. Can anyone help?

zepp76

The best advice I can give is to keep saving, sell what you don't need and put the money towards a Strymon El Capistan. You'll not want for a better delay.

DarnWeight

The NuX Tape Core Deluxe is bang on your budget, and has got a ton of extra stuff to tweak via a Mac/PC app.  I posted my thoughts on it recently here...

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/129754/npd-space-echo-on-a-budget#latest

A secondhand Digitech Obscura would probably fit the bill, too...it's got a really good Tape mode.

jpttaylor

That's a shame about the Gauss Echo. It sounds great, going on the demos I've seen, but a volume drop kills it for me.

I've yet to find a better tape sound (albeit for under £100) than the Marshall Echohead. That said, I've not tried the Obscura, which gets really good reviews. There's usually one in the classifieds for around £70.

Lebarque

MXR Echoplex is great.

meltedbuzzbox

Can't you just slap a cheap booster in front of it?

RandallFlagg

zepp76 said:

The best advice I can give is to keep saving, sell what you don't need and put the money towards a Strymon El Capistan. You'll not want for a better delay.

Agreed

UnclePsychosis

I liked the tape mode on the Obscura a lot.

That said, I prefer my Boss RE-20 but that costs twice your budget.

EricTheWeary

Tape (style) delays usually sound better for some sort of pre amp ( because that's what we hear in actual tape delays). So something to boost it like an Xotic EP Booster ( or cheap clone thereof). 
I think we also hear tape/ analogue delays as volume drop when there isn't as it 'softens' the overall sound so it might be perception rather than a problem with the pedal. But either way something to boost it. I had a tc X4 and had to accept that without kicking a boost on at the same time the ( percieved) drop on some  models was very annoying. 

JohnPerry

the Zoom multi-stomps are cheap as chips and have an excellent tweakable tape delay. Not El Cap standard (I've had one of those too) but good enough. And there are a billion other effects in it. 

ICBM

longi said:

Are there any others out there that I might have missed? My budget is around £70 tops.

Second hand Akai Headrush E2 - they go for as little as around £50-£60 now I think.

It's also one of the best loopers there is, if that matters.

Fuengi

The Obscura is fantastic. Line 6 Echo Park has a superb tape setting, they go around your budget. 

Fishboy7

Lebarque said:

MXR Echoplex is great.

That's may favourite. Preferred it to the el capistan and only £150 on the used market.

soma1975

The Catalinbread Belle Epoch has an internal trim pot for boost/level. 

alalalkasar

ICBM said:

longi said:

Are there any others out there that I might have missed? My budget is around £70 tops.

Second hand Akai Headrush E2 - they go for as little as around £50-£60 now I think.

It's also one of the best loopers there is, if that matters.

+1 on the headrush but it's huge. The Ibanez de7 can do a good tape delay in echo mode.

longi

Thanks for the replies guys!

zepp76 said:

The best advice I can give is to keep saving, sell what you don't need and put the money towards a Strymon El Capistan. You'll not want for a better delay.

I'd really love love an El Capistan, however I really am on a budget right now. Perhaps I might look at one in the future!

DarnWeight said:

The NuX Tape Core Deluxe is bang on your budget, and has got a ton of extra stuff to tweak via a Mac/PC app.  I posted my thoughts on it recently here...

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/129754/npd-space-echo-on-a-budget#latest

A secondhand Digitech Obscura would probably fit the bill, too...it's got a really good Tape mode.

Hadn't even had the Obscura on my radar, that looks very interesting. I've given the Nux a quick look over and it also looks very interesting.

prowla

I've got a Space Echo; it's amusing that it emulates the tape speeding up & slowing down as you change settings.

longi

jpttaylor said:

That's a shame about the Gauss Echo. It sounds great, going on the demos I've seen, but a volume drop kills it for me.

I've yet to find a better tape sound (albeit for under £100) than the Marshall Echohead. That said, I've not tried the Obscura, which gets really good reviews. There's usually one in the classifieds for around £70.

I know it's almost killing it for me too, it sounds so good but the volume drop although is there it's almost a bit too much.

I'm going to email TC and have a look on their forum and pester them! My mate has an Echohead, I think I'll borrow it.

Travisthedog

+1 for the obscura 

It's about the best tape echo I've used that isn't a strymon El cap

longi

Lebarque said:

MXR Echoplex is great.

Cool,I'm going to take a good look at that too.

longi

EricTheWeary said:

Tape (style) delays usually sound better for some sort of pre amp ( because that's what we hear in actual tape delays). So something to boost it like an Xotic EP Booster ( or cheap clone thereof). 
I think we also hear tape/ analogue delays as volume drop when there isn't as it 'softens' the overall sound so it might be perception rather than a problem with the pedal. But either way something to boost it. I had a tc X4 and had to accept that without kicking a boost on at the same time the ( percieved) drop on some  models was very annoying. 

Actually I have on but it's on my other board! I just need a dedicated delay for my mule board.